so the fiscal cliff would address the deficit problem. it is $5.5 trillion to the deficit. nobody wants it to happen. you know, the interesting thing about the president's proposal, i disagree with the stimulus spending being included. i support stimulus spending but that is kind of an extraneous issue right now. the cliff is basically the expiration of the tax rates and the across the board spending cuts of about 9% across defense and all domestic spending. that is the fiscal cliff. we shouldn't be dealing with other issues that are long term in order to avert the cliff as it were. that is immediate crisis. we have long term situation --. bill: but you know when lawmakers get a little bit of rope, you know, when they get time to think about it and push it off to the next year, it never gets done. this budget proposal, there are many who wonder whether or not even democrats could support it. the last budget that came from the white house went to the senate, it went 98-0 against it. no one voted for it. melissa: well, that was kind of a tricky parliamentary issue as well but